Reykjavik: New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise

GYG

Reykjavik: New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise

★ 4.4(56 reviews)

• Guide works in English
• Duration per the operator: 2 hours

from $178

See dates, price and what is included at the operator

A two-hour run out of Reykjavik on the last night of the year

This is a boat tour that takes you onto the water off Reykjavik on New Year's Eve, timed to put you in position for the city's fireworks when midnight comes. The run lasts two hours and departs from Reykjavik itself, so you are not travelling far from the centre to get going. Special Tours Iceland runs it with an English-speaking guide on board, and the price starts at 178 USD per person.

The point of the trip is the view. Reykjavik puts on a fireworks display over the city on New Year's Eve, and from the deck of a boat you watch it from across the water rather than from among the crowds on land. The itinerary lists Reykjavik and Vík í Mýrdal, but the two-hour duration means the practical focus is the bay and the skyline in front of you. This is a short, specific outing for one night of the year, not a general sightseeing cruise. If you are in Reykjavik over New Year and want a different angle on the celebrations, this is what the evening offers.

Photographs from the operator Special Tours Iceland. They show the listing, not your day.

What the fare covers and what it does not

The 178 USD starting price buys you the two-hour cruise with a guide who speaks English. That is what the operator states. Free cancellation is offered, so you can change your plans without losing the fare, though no deadline for that cancellation is given.

None of the places on the itinerary charges admission or parking, so there are no gate costs to add to the price. The fare itself is the main outlay. What you pay on top of that is your own transport to the departure point in Reykjavik and anything you choose to eat or drink before or after the trip. The operator does not list meals or drinks as part of the fare, and the listing does not mention any extra that you buy on board. The price you see is the price of the cruise itself.

What a 4.4 score from 56 reviews is worth

The tour holds a rating of 4.4 out of 5, but that score rests on 56 reviews. That is a small sample. Among the 31 boat tours in this category, this one ranks 12th by the number of reviews it has collected, which puts it in the middle of the group rather than at the top. The score itself is solid, but with 56 votes behind it, a handful of new reviews could move it noticeably in either direction.

In its category, the tour sits 12th of 31 when listings are ordered by strength of evidence, which is a measure of how much feedback exists rather than how high the score is. The 4.4 rating is consistent with what you would expect from a well-run short cruise, but it is not backed by the volume of opinion that a more established tour might carry. Treat the score as a reasonable sign of quality, not as a verdict that hundreds of people have confirmed.

New Year's Eve only, in the cold of an Icelandic winter

This tour runs on one night of the year, so the season is fixed: December 31. The climate chart above shows what that date means. January and December are the coldest months in Reykjavik, with average highs around 3 degrees and lows at minus 2. New Year's Eve falls right in that window, so you are looking at temperatures near or just below freezing for the duration of the cruise.

The two-hour length matters here. You are not out on the water for long, but the cold will be constant, and the wind off the bay will make it feel colder than the air temperature suggests. The high for December is 3 degrees, which is the same as January's, and the low drops to minus 2. There is no part of the evening when warmth is likely. The tour runs at night, after dark, which is when the fireworks are the point. That means you are on deck in the coldest hours of the day, not in the brief afternoon daylight. Dress for standing still outdoors in near-freezing temperatures for two hours, because that is exactly what this trip asks of you.

Getting on board and what the evening holds

The departure is from Reykjavik, and the operator runs the cruise from the city's harbour area. You will need to make your own way to the departure point, since the listing does not mention hotel pickup or transfers. The boat is staffed for the trip, with a guide on board who speaks English and will be there to point out what you are seeing as the city lights and fireworks come into view.

The weather will decide how comfortable the evening is. In late December, Reykjavik averages highs of 3 degrees and lows of minus 2, and the bay will add wind on top of that. The plan is to be on the water at midnight to watch the fireworks, and that plan holds unless conditions make it unsafe to sail. If the weather turns, the guide will make the call about whether the trip goes ahead. There is no admission gate or ticket booth at any of the places on the itinerary, because the itinerary is essentially the bay itself and the view of the city from it.

Who this suits and who should look elsewhere

This tour is for someone who wants to see Reykjavik's New Year's Eve fireworks from the water, with the city skyline spread out in front of the boat. It suits travellers who are comfortable being outside in near-freezing temperatures for two hours and who want a guided, English-speaking experience rather than finding their own spot on land. The short duration means it also works for anyone who does not want to commit a whole evening to a single activity.

It is not for anyone who dislikes being on cold water at night, or who wants a longer, more comprehensive boat tour of the area. If you are looking for a different kind of evening on the bay, the Northern Lights Yacht Tour runs for the same two hours and starts from 107 USD, with a 4.4 rating from 1,340 reviews. That tour has a much larger body of feedback behind it and a lower starting price, which makes it a stronger choice if you want a well-documented option. For this specific night, though, the fireworks cruise is the one that puts you in position for the city's midnight display.

GYG

Reykjavik: New Year's Eve Fireworks Cruise

Dates, remaining places and the current version of what is included are at the operator. This page reflects the state of the catalogue, not the state of this morning.

from $178

Ansehen